This is the secret ‘Trojan Horse’ car hideaway in which a drug importer stashed cocaine to be smuggled from abroad into the UK.
James Gradwell was jailed for 13 years and seven months yesterday (Thursday) for his part in trying to flood Merseyside with high-purity cocaine, picked up near the French and Belgian border.
The 24-year-old got behind the wheel of a Seat Leon while abroad, which was then transported back to Britain, and the consignment intercepted by police near Crosby.
The ECHO can now reveal photos of how the gang, jailed for a total of 48 years, used the vehicle to conceal the 6kg cocaine bundle, which they hoped was the first of many successful importations.
Images show how the ‘hide’ was in a constructed box within the transmission tunnel.
An expert who examined the car said: “I removed screws from a plastic panel beneath the dash in the front nearside footwell… the trim covering the transmission tunnel in the centre of the vehicle came loose.
“I removed the trim and pulled back the carpet. Underneath the carpet I found an area of the transmission tunnel had been cut to form a rectangular shaped plate. I removed the plate to find a constructed box section.”
James Gradwell, 24, jailed for 13 years and seven months for drug importation
Gradwell, of no fixed abode, teamed up with Christopher Corry, 41, of Halifax Crescent, Thornton, who got 11-and-a-half years, Ryan McQueen, 32, of Laurel Drive, Laurel Vale, County Armagh, who got six years, Jordan Talbot, 22, of Elson Road, Formby, who received six-and-a-half years and William Marsh, 28, of Rock Lane, Melling, who was locked up for ten years and eight months.
They aimed to bring up to 24kg from abroad into Britain every month, with the first 6kg haul potentially worth as much as £1.25m.
The purity levels of the drug was over 70%, but would be diluted using adulterants to around 15% to maximise profits.
On January 30, 2014, Gradwell was stopped by UK Border Agency workers while driving the Seat Leon in Coquelles, France, and the secret ‘hide’ was discovered during a search.
Gradwell, who pleaded guilty to conspiring to supplying Class A drugs, was a major player in that gang, prosecutors said, who boasted of quaffing champagne and sniffing ‘Charlie’ on a ferry as he journeyed to the continent on a drugs trip.
Detective Superintendent Lee Turner said: “Merseyside Police is absolutely committed to tackling the supply of drugs and the force will do everything possible to identify and take action against those who think they can profit from bringing misery to our communities.
“Gradwell, and four others who were previously sentenced to more than 35 years in total for the part they played in this drugs conspiracy, were hoping to supply and distribute cocaine on the streets of Merseyside and we have successfully disrupted their illicit drug trade."
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Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/